Contributed article
PERIODOT — Two stretches of U.S. Highway 70, in western Graham County, have new passing lanes thanks to two recent Arizona Department of Transportation projects.
Lanes were added in both directions between Peridot and Bylas within the San Carlos Apache Tribe community.
One project, which installed passing lanes in the eastbound direction between mileposts 274.5 and 275.5, began in November 2025 and wrapped up in August. The project area lies just east of Peridot, and now provides a one mile passing lane for faster moving eastbound traffic to overtake slower moving vehicles. Drainage improvements and other general maintenance work were also completed.
The westbound passing lanes project occurred between mileposts 288 and 289, near Bylas. This project began in July 2025 and was completed in June. Crews created the extra passing lane, made drainage and guardrail improvements, and installed new signage and pavement markings.
To limit the impact on drivers, ADOT kept at least one lane of traffic open in each direction during construction. These new passing lanes will allow for a safer and faster flow of traffic on this major route between the Gila Valley and the Phoenix metro area.
